


Meeting

by Caivu



Category: Batman (Comics), Batwoman (Comic), DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-25 15:19:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18264002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caivu/pseuds/Caivu
Summary: A small, partial patch to "Batman's Greatest Case" from Detective Comics #1000.





	Meeting

_Meeting_ was all the encrypted text had read, followed by a time and an address, specifying the roof of a random downtown high-rise. Typical Bruce. It was on their local intranet at least, so hopefully someone else would know what was going on.

Kate happened to be nearby, but there were already a few others on the roof when she landed. Dick was there, and Tim, and Stephanie, all talking. As she walked over, she saw Stephanie march off in a huff toward an upper ledge of the roof, followed by Tim.

"Do _you_ know what this is about?" Dick asked.

"Damn," Kate replied. "I figured _you_ would know. Guess we wait."

"I guess we do."

Kate jerked a thumb toward a corner of the building. "I'll just... keep an eye out, then."

"Right."

Duke and Cass had arrived during the short conversation, and as she passed them on her way to the building's edge, Kate offered them a shrug and a head shake in response to their questioning looks.

What could this _possibly_ be about?

She pondered this as she stared out over Gotham, her arms folded. It was a quiet night, at least.

Tomorrow was the anniversary of Uncle Thomas and Aunt Martha's murders. That almost certainly had something to do with it, knowing Bruce. She'd have to ask when he was going to the cemetery --

"Katherine," said someone behind her, authoritatively.

Damian.

She turned and looked down at her other cousin, feeling a small pull in her neck. She'd forgotten how short he was.

"What's this about?" Damian said, peering up at her through his green eye mask.

"Good evening to you, too," Kate sighed. "What makes you think _I_ know?"

"You're his cousin."

"You're his _son_."

He tutted at her, that irritating _tt_ sound that resembled a bad impression of a hi-hat. "Very well. Perhaps the others will be more helpful."

Kate didn't bother to tell him they wouldn't, and he left. She returned to her earlier thoughts.

Bruce would probably visit the graves at the exact time of the murders... but he would _also_ probably want to be alone. She herself certainly did when she visited Mom. Still, couldn't hurt to ask.

She glanced around the roof, and saw that everyone still active in Gotham was here. Besides Bruce, of course. Even _Selina_ was here, remarkably, as well as that Huntress woman from the Birds of Prey who had helped out with the plague a while back. But why was _she_ here? Who knew. Hell, Ace was here, and he was a dog.

Selina probably wouldn't know any more than the rest of them, especially since she'd been out of the city for months, but it was worth a shot. Kate turned to join the rest of the group, and saw she was alone on the lower level of the roof with Barbara, who paced frantically.

As Kate got closer, Barbara spotted her, and made an aggressive beeline.

" _There_ you are," she said. She sounded pissed.

Kate paused, studying her. Small stagger, flushed cheeks.

 _Holy shit_ , Kate thought. _Is she_ drunk?

"I've been here--" Kate began.

"Okay, then," Barbara interrupted. "How old are you?"

 _Good grief_ , Kate thought. This whole situation was absurd.

And Barbara was _definitely_ drunk, at least a bit. Kate could smell it on her breath. Had she been at dinner or something when the call had gone out? It wasn't _that_ late, after all.

"It doesn't matter," Kate said. And if she really wanted to know, she had Google.

"You're a woman, I'm a girl, I want to know the difference," Barbara drawled, gesturing wildly.

Well. Might as well have a little fun. Better than gazing at the skyline.

"I've been to war," Kate said. "Have _you_ been to war?" She knew that was true only as a stretch: her self-termed "war on war".

 _But let's see Barbara try to puzzle that one out in her current state_.

"War? Pfft," Barbara scoffed. "I've dated Dick Grayson. _You_ dated Dick Grayson?"

 _Well_ , Kate thought. _In vino veritas. Not your brother, Babs? Not the Joker shooting you through the damn spine?_

Barbara continued to rant about nonsense, but Kate tuned it out as she became aware of the others watching them.

"All they do is talk," said Huntress, seated on the ledge.

"Yes," said Cass, sitting next to her.

"You don't talk."

"No."

"I like you."

"I like you, too."

That was _it_.

"Hey, peanut gallery," Kate said. "What the hell do you two geniuses think _you're_ doing right now?"

They blinked.

"Listening...?" Cass said.

"Don't mind us, Red," said Huntress. "Keep her going, this is too good."


End file.
